OUTDOOR DINING

As soon as UK restaurants are welcoming visitors again, these are the tables we’ll be booking for a sunny day. Words: Lydia Winter The Swan, Kent

One of the UK’S best-known wine producers, Chapel Down, has its headquarters at Tenterden, where you can take a vineyard tour and taste wines, from sparkling to pinot noir. There’s a ‘wine kitchen’, The Swan, whose modern British cooking has earned it two AA rosettes and a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Sit on the roof terrace overlooking the vines and tuck into handmade truffle gnocchi or chicken and duck liver paté — all washed down with plenty of Chapel Down wine, naturally. illbemother.co.uk/theswan

Seabird, London

In the hazy light of a balmy summer evening, one of the best places to drink in London’s cityscape is Seabird, perched atop The Hoxton hotel in Southwark. Come for London’s longest oyster bar, sprawling city views and, most tempting of all, Portugese- and Spanishinspired plates of chilled razor clams, sardine skewers with olive salsa, or octopus rolls with sobrasada aioli, delivered by the James Beard Award-winning duo behind Brooklyn’s Maison Premiere, Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka. thehoxton.com

Ruin Beach Cafe, Scilly Isles

Sun, sea and seals. The Scilly Isles may only be 30 miles from Cornwall’s southern tip but they feel much farther flung. Ruin Beach Café, on the island of Tresco, may seem laid-back, but two AA Rosettes show its approach to food is anything but. There’s a Mediterranean slant (expect catch of the day with woodfired potatoes and fennel purée, or crab linguine), but dinner service finishes at 8.30pm, so come early for seaside sunsets. tresco.co.uk

The Hidden Hut, Cornwall

Usually open only from March to October, The Hidden Hut serves up the likes of soups, stews and chowders, as well as steak pasties, sausage rolls and salads made with fresh local ingredients. But when its legendary feasts come around, be sure to get in line, or online, because they sell out fast. Bring your own plates and picnic blankets to enjoy food cooked on an outdoor stove and indoor oven. The chefs turn out just one dish per event. hiddenhut.co.uk

Träkol, Tyne and Wear

Located in Gateshead, at the foot of the Tyne Bridge, Träkol’s shipping containers make an unassuming setting for mind-blowing seasonal fare, all cooked over an open fire. Expect plates of cured sea trout with pea and curry leaf, North Sea crab with apple and fish roe, or grilled king oyster mushroom with marmite and fried bread. Wash it down with a beer from the site’s microbrewery, while admiring the views over the Tyne. bytheriverbrew.co/trakol

Harry’s Shack, County Londonderry

Nothing says summer like fish and chips with a sea view. And Harry’s Shack, on Portstewart Beach, an hour’s drive from Belfast, isn’t your usual chippy. Head chef Derek Creagh used to helm the kitchen at highly regarded Harry’s Restaurant, just over the border in Bridgend. Spiced whitebait arrives in a newspaper cone, gurnard comes with couscous, and, at breakfast, they serve the fluffiest of pancakes. twitter.com/harrys_shack

Portelet Bay Cafe, Jersey

Walk through Portelet Common, a conservation area in southern Jersey, until you come to some stone steps, at the bottom of which is a secluded sandy beach. There, backed by verdant forest, you’ll find Portelet Bay Cafe. Here, you can sit at a table on the terrace and tuck into simple plates of seasonal salad, fresh seafood and wood-fired pizzas, all with a view of the tiny Ile au Guerdain. Best of all, it’s only reachable on foot or by boat, so you won’t be sharing with a crowd. porteletbaycafe.com

Gardener’s Cottage, Midlothian

Small but perfectly formed, this Edinburgh dining spot has just one communal table in each of its two intimate dining rooms. In summer, however, you might find space on the picnic benches in the gardens. The cottage was once home to a gardener (hence the restaurant’s name), who tended Edinburgh’s Royal Terrace Gardens, no less. An array of fruit, herbs and vegetables are still grown on site and, of course, used in the dishes. The menu changes daily according to the produce that arrives, but in summer you might be served tomatoes with fresh ricotta, toasted hazelnuts and garden leaves; handmade ricotta tortellini with broad beans and mint; or elderflower meringue with gooseberry sorbet. thegardenerscottage.co

In Cornwall, The Hidden Hut’s summer feasts see a single dish served, with sea views